Should you set big fat hairy audacious goals or stick to the reasonable, more easily achieved variety?

Many interviews with highly successful people reveal that they set themselves huge goals, fired by a burning desire to achieve something specific and that these goals determine their direction and purpose in life and colour all their decisions and actions.

They also freely admit that when they set these goals it’s usually without any clear idea of how to achieve them.

What they do have however, is an unwavering belief that trying is more important than failing.

This is what happens when a goal excites you enough:

You start to live every day in a way that makes it possible to achieve it.

Obstacles don’t seem daunting.

Failure is not scary – it’s just another step on the way.

Setting reasonable goals rarely leads to that sense of excitement so there isn’t the same incentive to overcome obstacles and the goals just becomes another “so what?”

All great achievements begin with an idea, a want, a longing, a desire.

While she was still Posh Spice, Victoria Adams said she wanted to be “more famous than Persil”. As Mrs Victoria Beckham she got her desire, but many of our wants and longings never get past the wishing and dreaming stage.

If you’ve ever had your dream laughed at, if you’ve been told to ‘get real’, keep your feet on the floor, your shoulder to the wheel and your nose to the grindstone (ouch!) you’ve probably let go of that dream and it may now be just a vague longing.

How would you feel if you re-ignited that flame? What’s stopping you from blowing on the coals of your burning desire and setting off on an adventure of achievement?

My guess is, that interfering with your thinking, your determination and your belief is a very small word called FEAR. It may be fear of failure, fear of success or simply a series of “what if’s?”

Fear is a tricky emotion. Most of the people who have achieved big fat hairy audacious goals say that the magnitude of what they were trying to achieve scared them – but they did it anyway.

If you knew that you could not possibly fail, what would you do?

If you’d like to talk about how to take action, make changes and grow your business, get in touch!

Self belief is a major factor in becoming successful.

Many of the people I mentor have all the talent they need to be successful but suffer from a lack of self belief and confidence.

This stops them from even trying to get what they want.

Achieving anything is mostly about simply doing the right things at the right time

Henry Ford said: “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t – you’ll prove yourself right”. Our thoughts are so powerful that they influence everything we do.

Do you believe you can get what you want?

If not, what are the thoughts that are holding you back?

The first step to working on a lack of self belief or self confidence is to acknowledge that you have them.

The good news is that self-confidence really can be learned and built on.

All other things being equal, self-belief is often the single ingredient that distinguishes a successful person from someone less successful – because they believe that if they try something and fail, it’s not the end of the world and they can always try doing it a different way or try something else.

They don’t think “why me?” they think “why not me?”

What do you think?

If you’d like to talk about how to achieve more of what you want, get in touch!

“Desire is the starting point of all achievement”

“Not a hope, not a wish, but a keen pulsating desire which transcends everything.” – Napoleon Hill

A surprising number of people have trouble deciding what it is they most desire.

There are lots of reasons for this:
As soon as we have the thought about what we want, we simultaneously tell ourselves that it is impossible, or that it is a selfish or unworthy goal.

We never really believe that we can have what we want.

For as long as we do battle with ourselves we find it hard to decide on a definite plan to achieve our desires.

Most plans are doomed to failure because we are creatures of habit

It is our habits that have got us to where we are now, wishing and hoping for things to change while we keep doing the same things and expecting different results.

These ten questions are the starting point of a process of discovery, reflection and planning that I’ve used with lots of people to help them to discover what they really want and make a plan to get it! They come from a book called “How to have your best year yet” by Jinny Ditzler.

1. What did you accomplish last year?

Brag like no-one is listening! Don’t compare your achievements with anyone else’s. This is not a contest it’s just about YOU! If you are finding it hard to give yourself a pat on the back take a minute to wonder why.

2. What were your biggest disappointments in the past year?

When did you disappoint yourself? When did others disappoint you? What happened that was not in your control? It’s not about beating yourself up but about looking at how you handled things. If you find it easier to criticise than to praise yourself, ask why. Are you hanging on to any resentment or anger or have you let it go?

3. What did you learn?

What worked and why? What didn’t work and why? What will you start doing? What will you keep doing? What would you stop doing?

4. How do you limit yourself and how can you stop doing it?

Fear is the biggest limiting factor in most people’s lives. Most fears are about things we imagine that never come true. What is it that you are most afraid of? What stories do you habitually tell yourself? What kind of self-image do you have? What would happen if you told yourself a different story and believed it?

5. What are your personal values?

Imagine you are an observer at your own funeral. What would you like people to say about you? How do you want to be remembered? How can you make your life be about living to these values?

6. What roles do you play in your life?

We hear a lot about work/life balance but what does this really mean to you? Everyone has many roles and they change as circumstances change. List all the roles you currently play – in no particular order – and then note the ones you do well and the ones you do badly.

7. Which role will you focus on?

Acknowledge that you have only so many hours in a day and that your first priority must be to taking care of yourself. This is like the airline notice that says “put the oxygen mask on yourself before helping others”. If you are not taking care of yourself you become a liability. Note any conflicts and then decide which role will be your major focus, thinking how this will fit into a long term life plan.

8. What are your goals for each role?

The only sure thing about goal setting is that goals need to be seen in the context of your whole life. If you start with the end in mind and align your actions with your values you are more likely to succeed. Do you have a life plan and long term goals or are you in ‘let’s see how things turn out” mode? When you set the goals for each role check for conflicts and make adjustments where necessary.

9. What are your top goals for the next twelve months?

Choose from the goals for each role the ones that will make the most difference to your life. Keep checking back and revising the list until you have a list that thrills and excites you. If your list causes you doubts and worries, dig up the reasons. Be honest with yourself and if you really can’t see yourself achieving a particular goal, cross it out and replace it.

10. How can you make sure you achieve your goals?

Your goals needs to be a living breathing part of every second of your life. Every decision you make will take you nearer or further away from achieving your goals. Achieving your goals is not something you do as well as doing everything else in your life. Achieving your goals is about the way you live every moment. If your goals are consistent with your values and the roles you play in your life the changes you make will lead naturally to the end you have in mind.If you’d like to explore any of this in greater depth just get in touchwith me. I’ll be happy to help.